Bassirou Diomaye Faye, elected President of the Republic of Senegal at the beginning of April, mid-April the creation of a Directorate of Religious Affairs and the integration of graduates of Arab education (composed of the Office of Religious Affairs and the Office for the Integration of Arab Education Graduates), directly attached to the Presidency of the Republic.
This decision is far from unanimous, especially within the Christian minority (less than 5% of the population). “ It is a total questioning of secularism in Senegal and even of the equality of religions before the State”says Adrien Diouf, a practicing Catholic, for example, who sees in this decision a “a blatant act of open promotion of Islam to the detriment of other religions “.
A visit to Muslim leaders
Vicar of the Saint-François d’Assises parish of Keur Massar, in Dakar, Father Roger Gomis said to him ” worried » of this decision. “Why overnight the creation of these directorates housed in the Presidency of the Republic? What explains this shift from the Ministry of the Interior to the presidency? », he asks.
Father Gomis calls for “clarifications” from the authorities on “the content, the mission and the prerogatives of these directions, to appease people”. “When we say religious affairs, do we mean all religious denominations, given that we are in a secular country with state neutrality in the life and functioning of the different religious denominations? »he notes.
The authorities’ explanations are all the more imperative, according to him, as the announcement of the creation of the directorates came after the President of the Republic visited some Muslim religious leaders. “Even if this perhaps has no direct link, the decisions announced in such a context create some confusion in people’s minds”, regrets the priest. The day before his announcement, Bassirou Diomaye Faye had in fact made a courtesy visit to the caliph generals of the Tidiane (49% of Senegalese Muslims) and Mouride (31% of Senegalese Muslims) Sufi brotherhoods.
“A breakdown of the principle of equality”
Questions about the Directorate of Religious Affairs do not only come from Christian circles. In an open letter addressed to the Head of State, Abdoulaye Sall, retired education inspector, expresses reservations.
This approach seems to indicate a preference not only for a particular faith, but also for a specific teaching discipline, which can be seen as a breach of the principle of equality which must prevail in a secular state. », he warned.
For this educator, the very placement of this direction at the level of the Presidency of the Republic could mean “ political interference in areas which should rather fall under educational and religious technicalities managed in a more neutral and independent manner”. Jean-Paul Diatta is counting on “wisdom” of the head of state for “ rectify the situation as soon as the making of these decisions creates so much controversy “. “ A good government must have an equidistant and reassuring posture “, he advocated, maintaining that such decisions can achieve “ stability, but also the cohesion of Senegal “.
